Review of Project Pie (Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong)

I’m the first to admit that I haven’t much covered Mandaluyong, the “Tiger City of the Philippines” or “Metro Manila’s Heart,” as much as it deserves. While I have eaten my way through Chinatown and most malls in Manila, my coverage starts to thin out in restaurants in Quezon City, Eastwood, Ortigas, etc. The lack of posts though doesn’t mean there is a lack of options.

It’s frustrating because some of the most quintessential eats (that are not of Chinese cuisine) are far from my place. Reaching for the best vegetarian-friendly burger, ramen, macarons, cupcakes, paella, etc. I’ve ever sampled means sitting in an hour or more of traffic jams. Get the picture?

Recently, I have been absolutely smitten with the idea of Project Pie: EVERYDAY ARTISAN PIZZA CUSTOM BUILT BY YOU. The concept is really cool, whereby customers can choose the kind and amount of pizza toppings they want to have on a 12″ thin pizza for PHp 285. Preparing and making the pizza normally take only seven to 10 minutes.

So I was much allured and the only problem was accessibility to the location. This restaurant is not conveniently accessible by public transport. I thought to bring a car but then again, I don’t want to drive around areas such as Shaw Boulevard, Wack Wack, Highway Hills which I’m not familiar with. Fortunately, Louie agreed to tag along with me and my friends to have lunch here last Sunday. Translation: I can be a “free rider.” Wee. 😛

Review of Project Pie (Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong)

Ambiance: ★★★☆☆

The decoration was plain and sparse. “Zigzag” light bulbs encompassing the ceiling brought sheer luminance to the entire area. Also adding to the brightness were the transparent walls and windows covering one side of the restaurant.

The Project Pie logo on the opposite wall was large to encourage interested dining customers to take it as a background for photo opportunities. On the other two sides of the wall were favorite sayings of famous people. They were very catchy and inspiring.

The queue to the counter was insanely long. Project Pie is a quick-server restaurant; however, customers tend to linger and enjoy their stay. Turnover is not as quick as other fast food chains. So there was a large number of people who stood and waited beside the taken tables, staring at the food and hoping for them to be finished immediately.

Of course those were awkward scenes. Somehow, seated customers can feel guilty and the same cycle would go on all day.

The tables and chairs can accommodate up to about 60 people, but according to my count, there were about double the number of customers who were present that day. Because of this, the environment was noisy and air conditioning did not seem to be enough. On a positive note, the place was clean as a whistle.

Service: ★★★☆☆

Initially, you would think that the staff would be responsible for finding and reserving seats for you upon your entrance. But after a few minutes of observation, you would notice that this is mainly a self-service restaurant. As you order and pay the cashier, you would get a tray of pizzas or pies and serve food to your table.

It’s best to come here when you have company or be prepared to stand still alone after getting your order from the counter until you find an available seat for yourself. Napkins, disposable forks and knives and spices/condiments can be taken from a station.

Food: ★★★★☆

Design. Build. Eat. I can describe Project Pie’s food as simple but perfectly executed. The menu is pretty straightforward as well. You can have the preset combination of toppings and/or pick your own toppings (for no extra cost) to add on. The pie is placed in the wood-fired oven at the end of the assembly, and you get the finished product easy-peasy.

We had the pre-set combinations no. 2, 6, and 7 and the banana nutella pie for dessert:

The pizzas looked unassuming, no big deal. The bottom didn’t get perfectly brown but they were nicely cooked and tasted great. A minute or so could be used under the broiler to brown up the cheese and toppings a bit more. Requiring slight chew, the base was thin and crispy but it has to be eaten quickly or it would be rubbery when cold.

I especially liked the banana nutella. It had the most unique, drool-worthy presentation. Yum! 😛 You can never go wrong with nutella, I guess.

Project Pie is an awesome find. It’s is like a Subway (niche: sandwiches) or The BRGR Project (niche: burgers) for personal-sized pizzas. PHp 285 for one pizza cut to four slices good for 1-2 people is not bad.

On the other two sides of the wall were favorite sayings of famous people.
> I have also seen a bar here in our place having this type of design and I could really say it’s pretty cool to look at. Also, the banana nutella looks weird but I’m willing to give it a try.

I simply love pizzas.. and the thought of designing it by yourself excites me most. WOw, I could have framed mine if I were in your place. Whoever came up with this project pie is a real genius. Good marketing strategy too.

Project Pie PH is actually a franchise from the original Project Pie in the US. I was quite surprised that the Philippines was chosen and approved to be the first extension in Asia. James Markham was the founder and he built the restaurant in 2008. 😀

Wow! The first thing I’ve seen your post, I remember Avenetto. I really wish they’ll have a branch somewhere in the south. I rarely go to Shaw and I want to visit here. It really breaks my heart every time I see places I want to visit but it’s just too far from my area 🙁 I love the banana nutella btw! 😀 all your orders look so tasty! nom nom!

Yup, they also have another unusual flavor for pizza. I can’t remember though if it was mango or strawberry but I’m sure it is just as delicious. 😀 With so many possible combinations, you may feel confused but don’t worry. The crew are very friendly and enthusiastic to suggest and answer your questions.

Well, the pies here are not really cheap or super affordable but they are somewhat just worth the price. 😀 This restaurant opened only last July so expect that there are floods of people coming into their doors excited to be served with as many toppings as they want on their pizza pies.

Create, Build and Design your own pizza??? I love it! Love the whole concept , its cool because you have to make a personalize pizza. And I am now salivating with the banana-nutella pizza you have here.

That’s right, Pal Raine. 😀 Every pizza can be a one-of-a-kind creation. It’s also good that customers don’t need to create the dough by hand and instead just select among the 29 toppings to add on over the 9-inch crust pizzas. The crews make fresh dough every two to four hours!

Wow! The price ain’t that bad at all! I’ve actually been seeing Project Pie from several colleagues that I follow on IG. I’ll probably heed your advice on bringing a few more people with me, so that the visit would be more worth it. Then again, if the pizzas are delish, I wouldn’t mind going there with just me and my beau — regardless of the long line or other waiting customers. 😛

Hi Mai! 🙂 Probably why you often see your colleagues post Project Pie pictures on Instagram is that Project Pie has a mounted iPad on one of its walls near the door (entrance) that allows customers to take a photo of themselves and post the picture on IG instantly. The place does not have wi-fi connection for the diners though. If it has then I suspect it to be crowded even more. ^_^

As I could recall, Project Pie is the food place featured by Kris A. in her show. Am I right?
Make your own pizza is really great to test our creativeness in combining the best tasted ingredients we wanted in a single plate.

[…] mushrooms, onions, extra mozzarella cheese and pineapples. I thought this is very much like that of Project Pie. However, unlike Project Pie, Burgoo charges PHp 75 for every additional topping. Basic ingredients […]

Ask five friends which places are the best to visit in South Korea and you'll get five different sets of answers. South ... Read More...

My TV Guestings

This blog accepts collaborations, sponsorships for product reviews, restaurant reviews and the like. Note that all reviews are honest and based on 100% personal experience, for the best interest of my readers.